June!

I'm so glad that June is here!

I was delighted to hit Half Price Book's Memorial Day sale - 20% off everything. I picked up some readers, some reference books, and some read-alouds for our classroom. 

June also means returning to school for me. I'll be undertaking two weeks of further training in Houston this month with a focus on fine arts and the Montessori classroom.

We'll spend the rest of the month packing for the move back to Austin, celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, and trying to spend as much time at the beach as time allows.

And remodeling work began yesterday on the classroom so I'm thrilled to know that's happening in preparation for my return. So excited to get into the room and start setting up the space.

Cheers to all!

Feed Your Brain!

Half Price Books is hosting a summer reading program: Feed Your Brain.

And here is their list of 40 Books Every Child Should Read.

What are the benefits of a Montessori education?

Many parents have this question, especially when available Montessori options are tuition-based. The American Montessori Society (AMS) has put together a nice answer on their blog here:

http://www.amshq.org/Montessori-Education/Introduction-to-Montessori/Benefits-of-Montessori.aspx

The attributes listed above are going to be of primary importance to a credentialed Montessori program. They are at the heart of the program we're developing here at Mariposa. Most importantly, they are at the heart of a love of learning. Students who are recognized as individuals, allowed to proceed at their own pace and warmly welcomed into a diverse community of learners will thrive.

Sir Ken Robinson, one of my inspirations, put it this way: Education needs to be personalized rather than standardized and we should be nurturing the spirit as well as the mind.

For the Classroom!

Alongside all of the Montessori materials, one of the things I love in an elementary classroom is simply all the fun stuff that kids love to explore and work on. Today, I purchased a few examples:

When it's raining outside, or when the kids need a little break in their day, puzzles, zentangles, building sets, games, and more keep them engaged but are also just downright fun.

A Great Perspective

This blog post captures a very special perspective on Montessori elementary and the role of the teacher.

http://mariamontessori.com/mm/?p=2272

Info Session

Come hear about our new program at the Mariposa Montessori Elementary Information Session.

When:    10 AM, Saturday, May 4, 2013
Where:   Mariposa Montessori, 7809 Brodie Lane, Austin, TX 78745
RSVP:   sunni@mariposamontessori.com

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New Beginnings

Home with a sore throat today, I spent some time working on this fall's curriculum. It's so exciting to see it laid out in calendar format. What a blessed, sweet little classroom this is going to be and what fun we're going to have exploring the Montessori lower el curriculum AND our lovely home town of Austin, TX.  Music, cooking, nature hikes, gardening, dinosaurs, fractions, nouns, articles, adjectives - oh my!

Stay tuned here for more info as the classroom comes together.

Montessori Small Bead Frame, used for Addition, Subtraction and Multiplication